Today's news summary, January 28, 2014

Environmentalist. Activist. Folk icon. From President Barack Obama to rocker Bruce Springsteen, many in the mid-Hudson Valley and across the nation today stopped to honor Pete Seeger, the legendary folk singer from Dutchess Junction who who founded the Clearwater organization. Seeger's grandson, Kitama Cahill-Jackson, said his grandfather died of natural causes on Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital, where he'd been for six days. "He was chopping wood 10 days ago," he said. Seeger was 94. The news spread fast to social media, where fans of his music and activism went to pay tribute to the songwriter. There's even talk from the supervisor of the Town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, of naming New York's new bridge - to replace the Tappan Zee - after Seeger, the Associated Press reported today. An accomplished songwriter and activist, Seeger marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and performed at Obama's first inauguration. "For eight decades, he actively confronted injustice in the United States, and used the transformative power of his songs to inspire action," said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy. "Our music community and our country have lost a national treasure, and we will continue to honor his memory every time we sing one of his many anthemic songs." Today, Obama shared his thoughts on Seeger's death. "Over the years, Pete used his voice - and his hammer - to strike blows for worker's rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation. And he always invited us to sing along," Obama said in a statement. "Michelle and I send our thoughts and prayers to Pete's family and all those who loved him." Pick up Wednesday's Poughkeepsie Journal for a special 8-page commemorative section on the life and legacy of Pete Seeger.

An 18-year-old City of Poughkeepsie man is due in town court later this week to answer for his alleged role in the Highland nightclub shooting. Tahmel Gordon faces one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, Ulster District Attorney Holley Carnright said today. He was sent to Ulster County Jail late Sunday with no bail set, according to jail officials. The 4 a.m. shooting in the parking lot of the nightclub HOME on Route 9W that ended with a shooting at a police roadblock about 2 miles away remains under investigation, Carnright said. Gordon was allegedly driving the Nissan Altima that police said fled from the scene of the shooting. Gordon was shot by police allegedly after resisting arrest.

Two strong-armed robberies that occurred two days apart at local eateries are under investigation, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department announced today. At about 9:30 p.m. Monday, two men robbed Rite Stop 2 Deli on Mansion Street, making off with about $400, police said. The suspects wore masks, dark clothes and gloves. The gunman is described as 5-foot-8 with a medium build. The second male is 6-foot-1 and thin. Police said they fled toward Morgan Avenue. At about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, two men robbed Papa John's Pizza on Church Street, and fled with about $100, police said. One man displayed what appeared to be a knife with a four-inch blade. Police are looking for two 5-foot-11 men, one with a thin build and one who wore a dark-colored jacket and gray sweat pants. According to police, in all the city's robberies this year, the suspects have been masked and gloved. Earlier this month, police said they were investigating four unsolved robberies by knife and a fourth incident with a semi-automatic handgun. Anyone with information on any of the recent City of Poughkeepsie robberies is asked to call the city police tipline at 845-451-7577.

Passenger traffic at Stewart International Airport here grew in the last two months of the year as Allegiant Air began service to the Tampa Bay area, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reported today. The Stewart Airport Commission heard a briefing this morning that said the November passenger use of the carriers grew by 4 percent, largely because of new service begun Oct. 31 by Allegiant. The December traffic rose by 3.3 percent versus year-ago levels. Allegiant flies to the Saint Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport located between those two cities. Michael Torelli, business development specialist at Stewart, which is operated by the Port Authority, said Allegiant had added passengers with its twice-weekly flights and that the numbers show "a positive trend." The year as a whole, however, was down 12.2 percent with a total of 320,315 passengers. That figure was also lower than 2010 and 2011. Loss of some of the airline scheduled flights in recent years has been cutting into the totals.

Jobless rates around the state continue to decline in the latest report from the state Department of Labor. Dutchess County's rate fell to 5.9 percent in December from a year-earlier level of 7.8 percent. Ulster County's unemployment stood at 6.5 percent, a drop from 8.6 percent. The broader Hudson Valley seven-county region posted a rate of 5.5 percent, down from 7.4 percent in December 2012. "Of the 10 labor market regions in New York state, the Hudson Valley region trails only Long Island with the lowest unemployment rate," noted regional labor analyst Johny Nelson in his statement.

SPORTSJohn Giametta was approved as the new varsity baseball coach at John Jay High School at the Wappingers Central School District's Board of Education meeting on Monday. Giametta, who is a physical education teacher at John Jay, served as John Jay's JV coach under Tom O'Hare, who resigned as baseball coach in December. O'Hare is still the school's football coach.

COMING WEDNESDAY

In sports

Varsity Club Extra previews the upcoming high school swimming divisional championships. Arlington's Chris Alpay and New Paltz's Hudson Carroll are two of the region's top swimmers competing.

Also in sports, check out the Marist College women's basketball preview. The Red Foxes host Rider, looking for a fifth consecutive win.

On the opinion page, the Poughkeepsie Journal pays homage to Pete Seeger. The Journal says that during his storied career, eeger poured everything into his songs, never forget the downtrodden and always recognized the compelling need for each generation to do its part to protect the environment with great zeal.

WEATHER

Tonight's weather calls for mostly cloudy skies with a low around 7, according to the National Weather Service. Tomorrow, sunny with a high near 24.

To read the complete versions of these stories, click "Top News" in the navigation of your tablet site, iPhone or Android app on the Journal's mobile site, m.poughkeepsiejournal.com. You can also visit www.poughkeepsiejournal.com

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Today's news summary, January 28, 2014

People across the nation are mourning the passing of legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, the Dutchess County resident who died Monday at the age of 94.